Gynogenesis in Neochlamisus leaf beetles

Gynogenesis is a rare and unusual form of parthenogenesis whereby asexual females must mate with sexual males in order to reproduce, yet the male makes no genetic contribution to the offspring, which are clones of the mother. Because of the sexually parasitic nature of gynogenesis, gynogens must co-exist with closely related sexuals to obtain matings. Populations of Neochlamisus leaf beetle species tend to have female-biased sex ratios, and this bias reflects the coexistence of sexual males and females with morphologically indistinguishable gynogenetic females. Biological and evolutionary aspects of gynogenesis in this study system are discussed.